Cheese Plate Wreath

by Paul Lowe, Sweet Paul

As soon as the holiday season arrives, I'm ready to fill my house with pine! That's what inspired me to bring this perfect little faux-pine appetizer wreath into life. Here, rosemary sprigs take the place of pine to create the perfect holiday wreath that I've decorated with festive cream cheese balls that are popping with bright and zippy flavor.

It's so easy to bring this dish to any holiday gatherings. I simply create the balls in advance and store them in the fridge. Then, I bring everything to the party and assemble the whole creation in seconds once I arrive. Let me tell you…. this dish never fails to get "ooohs" and "aaahs" when I set it on the table, and I'm sure it will do the same for you.

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) of cream cheese

Zest of 1 lemon

Leaves from 1 bunch of fresh thyme

Red chili flakes to tast

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cheese curds or fresh mozzarella balls

8 ounces of parmesan or other hard cheese broken up into bite sized chunks

2 big bunches of fresh rosemary for presentation

1⁄2 cup dried cranberries

1⁄4 cup honey for serving

Instructions

Start by opening your package of cream cheese. Wet your hands slightly, tear off bits of the cream cheese mixture and form into small balls about 1 inch in diameter.

Mix together zest, thyme, chili, salt and pepper onto a flat plate.

One by one, roll the cheese balls through the mixture. Make sure each ball picks up a lot of the flavorful goodies!

At this point you can store the balls in the fridge until your ready to use them.

To serve, cut your bunches of rosemary and form a nice wreath on a plate or cutting board. Place your cream cheese balls, parmesan chunks and cheese curds around your wreath as if they were holiday ornaments. Fill in the gaps with bright clusters of dried cranberries, and serve with a bit of honey on the side for dipping!

Store cream cheese balls airtight container in the refrigerator. Balls can be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you use them.

Start by opening your package of cream cheese. Wet your hands slightly, tear off bits of the cream cheese mixture and form into small balls about 1 inch in diameter.

Mix together zest, thyme, chili, salt and pepper onto a flat plate.

One by one, roll the cheese balls through the mixture. Make sure each ball picks up a lot of the flavorful goodies!

At this point you can store the balls in the fridge until your ready to use them.

To serve, cut your bunches of rosemary and form a nice wreath on a plate or cutting board. Place your cream cheese balls, parmesan chunks and cheese curds around your wreath as if they were holiday ornaments. Fill in the gaps with bright clusters of dried cranberries, and serve with a bit of honey on the side for dipping!

Store cream cheese balls airtight container in the refrigerator. Balls can be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you use them.